Seeing Microsoft's mobile future requires big-picture perspective

Does Microsoft have a mobile strategy? Yes, but to see it you must look beyond the yearly cycle governing the smartphone industry.
I've often contemplated how artists who create large works, like the 60-foot sculptures of Mount Rushmore, maintain perspective. As they work on the details of the piece, they're far too close to (essentially engulfed by) the enormous "canvas" to see how each detail relates to the larger whole. It's a very different perspective than a sketchpad drawing where the entire picture is always in view.